IPTL Contender - Will aTnType prove they belong?

Team ALTERNATE is one of those teams that you simply know even if you’re not following eSports for a very long time, and although their international results aren’t as impressive as those presented by other big multigaming organizations, it is very hard to find another group of people with such a huge compilation of different experiences and amazing history. What is more, is they are one of those teams that support their local scene as much as possible, which helps electronic sports grow.

Because of their background it was just a matter of time for aTn to acquire Staracraft 2 players once the game was official released. The first two players in their line-up were Xlord, German Warcraft 3 star, and Mardow, completely unknown outside Germany. Both of them never had an impact of Team ALTERNATE’s international success, but were the main part of aTn’s German marketing power.

Before we even start talking about the current roster, there is one member of aTn that has to be mentioned – it’s TaKe. He is a legend not only among the German community, but also on the international scene as well. Dennis supports eSports to the fullest, often working more than most people to bring us the content that we deserve. First Tower Rush in Warcraft 3 was his invention, and since then he has brought us more than 90% people involved with electronic sports. In Team ALTERNATE he works as a manager, which is crucial in team leagues; one has to know which player is good in which match-up. If some of the players will underperform, TaKe is the one who can twist the tides.

The most unknown player on the team is Delphi, and although he has had many successful runs in online cups or during German offline events he still hasn’t had his breakthrough to the international scene yet. He was a part of ESC, the team you might recognize for sponsoring Polish Counter Strike legends, before he joined Team ALTERNATE in June 2011. Besides being a player, Delphi and his teammates, Socke and DarKFoRcE, host a well-known German podcast called “Szenecast” where they talk about Starcraft, leagues and events.

Jonathan “DarKFoRcE” Belke is another player with a small list of achievements outside Germany. He took out NaNiwa and Sjow during the first season of NASL, and qualified to Round of 8 at IEM São Paulo where he defeated KiLLeR and American Illusion, but lost to Ret in a close match. Just like Delphi, Jonathan has some impressive games in online cups, yet it is the World Championship Series that can become his stepping stone.

One of the latest additions to the team, ClouD, is one of the most recognized players from Italy; he’s been representing his countries in multiple WCG events both in Starcraft: Brood War and Starcraft 2. His latest achievement was Ro16 in ASUS ROG, where he got eliminated by MaNa after reaching the playoffs. In the past he used to play Protoss, but he decided to switch his race and chose Terran, which was a good choice looking at his tournament performance. Currently, this is number two on Team ALTERNATE and will play a huge role in any team tournament as an experienced and skilled player.

Currently aTn’s ace is Socke. He’s not only recognized by the German scene where he works on its growth, but internationally as well; multiple titles and strong Protoss play makes him one of the most toughest opponents one can meet in IPTL Season 1. He was representing his country in WCG 2002 in SC:BW, but after switching to Starcraft 2 first few months weren’t as good as he probably expected them to be. In 2010 he didn’t win any big tournaments other than EPS Germany and a few online cups. The real breakout for this heavy metal fan came in 2011 where he did great in SHOUTcraft Invitational organized by Total Biscuit, IEM Season VI and EPS Germany Season 19. In 2012 he hasn’t won anything yet, but still dominated his domestic scene by winning WCS Germany.

At the moment aTn is definitely looking strong. With Socke as their ace, followed by ClouD and DarKFoRcE they are a force to be reckoned with because every mistake will work to their advantage; however, their contender group is looking really strong and they will have to outperform themselves if Team ALTERNATE want to advance to Up & Down having to beat Acer, Complexity and FXO on their way there. If they will focus, practice and study their enemies, sky is the limit for the German organization.